I'm considering a trip to the Swiss Alps before or after the US-Ghana match. Does anyone know how possible this is in terms of train travel? If I'm basing myself in Munich for the match in Nuremberg, is that doable? Thanks for your thoughts.
When I was in Munich, I rented a car to see Neushwanstein (sp) and the Austrian Alps (it's only about an hour). If you want to go to Switzerland, it's going to take longer.
My wife and I love Switzerland but it is a little out of the way and somewhat expensive. You may just want to visit the German and/or Austrian Alps instead. Guess which is which from these pictures...
Any particular reason you want to go to Switzerland? The German and Austrian Alps are just as scenic and beautiful.
I'll be in Munich as well, Switzerland is close enough that you could probably make a 2 day/1 night trip out of it but the German and Austrian Alps are a day trip. I briefly entertained the thought of getting a day or 2 of glacier skiing in on this trip, but apart from the fact that I can't really fit it into my budget, the absolute LAST thing I want to do is lug ski boots around Germany for 2 weeks.
Prague is the place to go for the 3 day 2 nite trip b/w K-town and Nurenburg. I will be there and, of course, Amsterdam after Kelsenkirchen to start the party off with a bang . . .
I'll be trying to make many side trips to all of the countries around Germany, including Switzerland.
As mentioned, the Austrian and German Alps are closer to that area. For my money the Dolomites are more dramatic. What do you want do there? Mountain hiking is going to be about the same everywhere. Do you have a Heidi fantasy? Sound of Music? Switzerland is a relatively small country, but you want to be more careful about the speed limits. The castles in Neuschwanstein are interesting to see once, but these are still in Germany, just near the Austrian border. Zurich is nice but VERY expensive. The rest of the country is not too bad. There's a pretty nice historical park in Switzerland, near Bern IIRC, that you can walk through and see how Swiss life evolved through several centuries, sort of a Swiss Williamsburg, if you will. I liked that place. If you want to see the Matterhorn, thats in Zermatt (last pic in the group above) and quite a ways south. Scion is a pretty cool looking town near there, with castles built on large stone promontories.
This is on my shortlist for a sidetrip...should I decide to take one. We are also considering Slovenia and Croatia.
Mostly looking to chill in a nice 4 or 5-star mountain resort, do some hiking, kick back, enjoy scenery, etc. Basically, the soccer games are for me, and my wife gets to enjoy the rest of our European holiday as she sees fit. I appreciate everyone's input. Thanks.
It's doable, but you will need at least 3 days (2 for driving by train or car or flying), because it is too far from Munich, especially Zermatt (the famous mountain "Matterhorn"). There are some trains leaving to Zürich every day. Instead you could drive very comfortable to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (picture #1). It is just one to one-and-a-half hour to drive. Trains to Garmisch leave every hour. A beautiful landscape. The "Zugspitze" is the highest mountain of the Northern Alps. You will have a fantastic view from the top of it. And Garmisch speaks English, due to US military in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Take a look at Canton Graubünden in East Switzerland. There you find Davos, St. Moritz and Klosters (all of which have great hotel facilities.) By train you can reach the region in 6-7 hours from Munich... www.myswitzerland.com / St. Moritz / Davos / Klosters
Seconded! Garmisch was our home base when our family was over for the '72 Olympics (yes, I'm that old)...wonderful people and the view from the room at the Garmischerhof was incredible! Man, from there you could be in Italy in two hours!